“There is nothing like seeing something from the eyes of a child,” my mother had told me growing up. This famous line of my mother’s, worthy of a fortune cookie, always seemed to frustrate me. The quote, it seemed to me, served no greater purpose than allowing my younger cousins to get away with their mischief.

“They don’t know any better,” my mother had said when I expressed my exasperation. “They see the world differently than we do,” she explained patiently. “In their eyes, the world is a more innocent place. It’s filled with wonder, excitement and possibilities. Not many adults see the world the same way.”

Years later as I see snippets of news clips pertaining to immigration, I can’t help but wonder, What are the children of illegal immigrants seeing?

Do they see Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials enforcing the law to keep our country safe as my dad does? Do they see and pity the families that are being affected as my mom does? Or do they see and fear that their world of possibilities will be snatched away from them?

As a child, the possibilities of my life started when I went to school. It was not just a place of learning and making friends. Going to school resulted in a structured daily routine that was a part of my life well into adulthood. The children of illegal immigrants have the right to attend public schools as a result of a 1982 Supreme Court case Plyler v. Doe. As a result, they are allowed to form their own daily routines and to have their own lives.

But what happens if these lives are interrupted? What happens if their parents are taken away by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials? Do they continue with the lives they have been leading? Or are they subjected to the vast bureaucracy that rules our country?

The answers depend on if a child was born in the United States or not. If a child of illegal immigrants was born in the United States and their parents are arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, they are temporarily placed in shelters. If there are no legal guardians to take them in, the children are then placed in foster care.

If a child of illegal immigrants was not born in the United States and their parents are arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, their options become more complicated and more limited. After their parents are arrested they, like children of other illegal immigrants, are temporarily placed in shelters. From there, they have two options. The first option is to be placed in foster care that is sponsored by Catholic and Lutheran churches. Their second option is to be placed under the care of an adult sponsor who will act as their guardian.

Many illegal immigrants came to the U.S. for a better life, if not for themselves than for their children. These children aren’t just numbers on a page. They are people—with feelings and opinions. I can only hope, as a citizen of the U.S. and as a human being, that the children of illegal immigrants see there is more to life than fear for it.